Obituary: Katelyn Marie Caruso, 31

December 23, 1991 ~ January 9, 2023

Katelyn Marie Caruso, age 31, passed away peacefully following a courageous battle after suffering from a brain aneurysm on January 9, 2023.  She was surrounded by her loving family and fiance by her side.

A lifelong resident of Reading. Katelyn is the loving daughter of beloved parents Joseph Caruso and Lynne (Cranitch) Caruso of Reading and Gloucester. She is the beloved sister to Joseph Caruso of Reading and her devoted fiance Brett Lepore of Reading. They recently purchased their first home in Reading, and she was to marry on May 27 of this year.

Katelyn was born in Malden, MA on December 23, 1991, and raised in Reading all her life. She attended Reading Memorial High School class of 2010. She was an Honor student and three sport, four year varsity athlete and two sport Captain who loved everything about sports. Her passion was lacrosse. She was a fierce competitor and cherished her RMHS teammates and experiences.  She was recruited to play lacrosse at Quinnipiac University and enrolled in a 6 year Occupational Therapy Program graduating in 2016 with a Masters in OT. She furthered her education at Tufts University Graduate School for the Hand and Upper Extremity Certificate Program and became a licensed Certified Hand Therapist in 2019. Katelyn worked at Excel Orthopaedic Specialists in Woburn as an OT/CHT since 2015, a career she was so passionate about. She touched the lives of so many patients and loved the reward of helping them heal. She also traveled to the Dominican Republic with an Excel team to treat patients in need of medical care. She worked as a Teaching Assistant for the Tufts University Graduate OT Program. She also worked per diem at Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Boston on the brain injury floor from 2017 to 2019. She worked with patients who suffered from brain injury which she ultimately suffered herself.

Katelyn had a real passion for life. She had boundless determination with everything she did. She spent all her summers in Gloucester at her family’s summer home. Her favorite place to be, she loved the beach, boating and being with all her friends and family on the endless summer days she loved. She was passionate about fitness and running. She was an amazing snowboarder, who loved the sport and apres ski as well. She loved to travel and plan her next trip.  Her adventures took her to Iceland, Ireland, Caribbean, Nantucket and so much more. Her favorite places were the British Virgin Islands and St John’s USVI.  She loved getting her friends and family together for a day or night of great food, drinks and fun.  She loved cooking also. She had endless love and friendship with her lifelong Reading friends who she cherished dearly. Katelyn was also a proud member of the Gloucester Elks. She touched so many lives. Her passion for life and her beautiful spirit and smile would light up anyone’s day!

Along with her devoted parents and fiance, Katelyn is survived by her loving Godparents, Steve Caruso and Ruthanne Riccioli and many beloved Aunts and Uncles. She cherished her cousins, Lauren, Daniel, Steven, Victoria, Olivia, Casey, Madison, Taylor, Joy, Kathryn, Maryellen, Catherine, Kevin, Brian, John, Alessia, Callie, Reece and Elizabeth. She is so loved by many extended family, lifelong friends and coworkers.

Katelyn was the beloved granddaughter to the late Robert and Ruth Cranitch and Carmelo and Mary Caruso. Also the loving niece of the late Bobby Cranitch and Nat Caruso.

Arrangements: Friends and family are invited to visiting hours on Monday, January 16 th from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. at St. Athanasius Parish, 300 Haverhill St., Reading, MA. Katelyn’s Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, January 17 th at 11 a.m. at St. Ann’s Church, 74 Pleasant St., Gloucester. Please meet at church. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Gloucester. As an expression of sympathy, in lieu of flowers, donations in Katelyn’s honor can be made to the Katelyn M. Caruso Memorial Scholarship Fund.  This will be awarded annually to a Scholar Athlete pursuing OT, PT or Nursing at RMHS. Checks can be made payable to Lynne Caruso.

Mail to: Bank of America

Alex Whitmore
100 Federal Street
MA5-100-09-14
Boston, MA 02110

Or Venmo at: www.venmo.com/u/KatelynMCarusoScholarshipFund or Venmo: @KatelynMCarusoScholarshipFund.